A Glen Taylor free kick saw Spennymoor win 2-1 at the MGroup Stadium this afternoon.

Trailing to a Rob Ramshaw goal half way through the first half City levelled before the break through Zac McEAchran but couldn't quite do find a winner and were puncihed as Taylor fired home with time running out.

In a lively first half, high on goal action, the Hoops almost made a perfect start as the strength of Isaac Westendorf was too much for the Moors defence but the forward placed his low shot too close to keeper Bradley James with 21 seconds on the clock.

That set the tone for the rest of a breathless first half. The visitors had a string of chances in the first 20 minutes. Ramshaw, the eye-catching Corey McKeown and Matty Dolan all forced the excellent Sam Lewis into saves before Westendorf redressed the balance with another run and shot that James did well to block.

The only question was which end the goal was going to come and unfortunately on 22 it was Lewis who was left exposed when a clipped cross dropped for Ramshaw, in a suspicious amount of space behind the defence, to thump the ball under Lewis to give Spennymoor a 1-0 lead

That lead lasted just nine minutes before City were back on level terms. Westendorf again was the key, winning the ball and sending McEachran on his way. The mercurial McEachran checked inside the tried his luck and the ball took a deflection beyond the wrong-footed James to make it 1-1 and give McEachran his second goal of the season.

Understandably both managees tightened tings up for the second half but there were still chances for both sides.. Glen Taylor should have restored Spennymoor’s lead but inexplicably headed over the gaping net with 55 minutes gone, Josh Ashby ended a flowing move with a drive that James did well to catch. and either side might have won the game before the decisive moment came from Taylor when his low free kick flew through a sea of legs to give the visitors a win.

Harsh on this battling City side but a first home defeat now calls for a strong reaction away at Chester on Monday...

CITY 

Lewis, Burroughs (Wilson 76), Wiggett, Johnson, Roddy (Daniel 80), Ashby, Scott (Bampoh 90), McEachran, Potter, Westendorf, Campton-Sturridge (Parker 57)

SUBS

Tremk, Humphrey-Ewers, McConnell

Att: 620

Report by Chris Williams, pictures Simon Godfrey, Darrell Fisher and Steve Daniels